Making Europe Safe for al Qaeda

Updated Dec. 7, 2001 12:01 a.m. ET

By David B. Rivkin, Jr. and Lee A. Casey. Messrs. Rivkin and Casey are partners in the Washington, D.C. office of Baker & Hostetler LLP. They have served previously in a variety of legal and policy positions in the Reagan and George Bush administrations, including the White House Counsel's Office and the Department of Justice.

U.S. President George W. Bush's order permitting the use of military commissions to try captured al Qaeda members has ignited a firestorm of controversy. In the United States, the president has...